A Rash Decision
by PinkFireandGoldenStars
Summary: "I made my decision one day at the guild when I was cleaning the archives (again) with Natsu (again) and Lisanna." What happens when Lucy overhears Natsu babbling? She leaves the guild crying and makes a rash decision. WARNING! Contains spoilers up to episode 24 of Fairy Tail 2014 or Season 2. TRIGGER WARNING!
1. Chapter 1 - A Huge Mistake

**Disclaimer: All these wonderful characters and everything Fairy Tail belong to the amazing Hiro Mashima, who is ten times more amazing than I will ever be! Enjoy**

~Lucy's P.O.V.~

I made my decision one day at the guild when I was cleaning the archives (again) with Natsu (again) and Lisanna. It wasn't the best job ever but it was a sort of punishment so I guess that's why we were performing the wretched task. Well I didn't think it was that bad because it meant I could look through all the files and read all the books. I thought it was great! But Natsu was grumbling the whole time even though I kept reminding him it was his fault.

You see we were on a job in a town just east of Hargeon, helping the residents with a little vulcan problem. We were supposed to get rid of them in the forest but Natsu _accidentally_ drew them closer to the town and, by going on a rampage to destroy them, also ended up destroying the farm on the edge of the village, the resident's main source of food. So then we ended up sorting books back at the guild. Of course Lisanna wasn't being punished, she was just bored so she offered to help out.

It seemed Natsu wasn't really doing anything, it was just me and Lisanna and then he had the nerve to say he was so exhausted and hungry, then he told me to go get some food. Well obviously I wasn't so impressed so I kind of lost my temper, a lot faster than I usually do and started yelling at him. I think I lost my temper quicker than normal because I had been having weird dreams and hadn't slept much in about a week, so I was pretty tired. Eventually I gave in and went to grab some snacks. When I came back Lisanna and Natsu were looking at pictures that Reedus had drawn and were deep in conversation. I didn't want to interrupt so I stood by the door and listened for a bit. I knew I probably shouldn't have but I did anyway. What I heard next got me thinking about leaving the guild.

Natsu was holding a picture of me and him, he had his arm slung over my shoulder and I was leaning into him a bit, it was drawn after the whole Zentopia incident, right after Natsu had, once again, saved my life. As he was looking at it he had an adorable smile on his face.

Lisanna glanced at the picture and then at Natsu and said, "You like her don't you?"

Natsu flung his head around to look at her, his cheeks flaming, "Wha- what do you mean, she's my friend and team mate, what else could we po-possibly b-be."

His words came out in a rush. Lisanna giggled at how embarrassed he was and I was having a hard time suppressing a laugh.

She looked up at him smiling and simply said, "She's very pretty, it's no surprise she came second in the Miss Fairytail contest seven years ago."

Natsu turned back to the painting and smiled again.

Without looking up he said, "Yeah she is."

I smiled at that, a blush creeping onto my own cheeks. Then he continued,

"But she can pretty scary, like Erza. But then that's always outshone by how nice she is. She can get pretty annoying on jobs and even though she's much stronger now, I'm pretty sure she'd be stronger than you, she's not as strong as me and that makes me worry. Celestial wizards always seem lazy to me because they just summon spirits to fight for them, although Lucy's a bit different, she fights alongside her spirits because they use ability type magic and she doesn't. Sometimes I think we'd be better off if we didn't take her on some jobs, that way she wouldn't get hurt, if Happy and I needed another team mate there's always you but…"

When he said that I gasped and dropped the tray I was holding, then turned and ran, crying, all the way back to my apartment. I didn't stop to hear the "but", it didn't matter, I had heard enough.

~Natsu's P.O.V.~

"but she's Lucy."

I turned around as the tray hit the floor, I sniffed the air and I could smell Lucy and tears, two things I don't like to be in the air at the same time. I growled and was about to run after her when Lisanna grabbed my hand. I didn't mean to but I snapped at her,

"What? I need to go after Lucy!"

She scowled at me and said, "And I need to hear what you meant, what do you mean when you say sometime you think you'd be better off without her?"

I gulped, "That didn't sound very good huh? That's not what I meant what I wanted to say was sometimes I think the guild would be better off without her sometimes because of all the trouble she goes through, what with Phantom and the Zentopia thing, which are not her fault at all, she's just really unlucky. But then maybe she would just be better off without the guild, I don't know, I don't want her to leave but maybe, never mind. Well, it's just, maybe if she hadn't have joined the guild she wouldn't get hurt so much. Then again if she hadn't have joined the guild and those things did happen to her, she could have gotten hurt a lot worse than what she did. Ugh! I don't know! And what I meant when I said she's Lucy is that she is really smart and has tonnes of magic power, she just hasn't unlocked it yet even if she does have second origin, she's also really good with that whip. And also, I'm sorry Lisanna, but I would never trade Lucy's spot on our team for you, it was made for her. I'm sorry"

I looked down as I finished afraid to see Lisanna upset but to my huge surprise Lisanna didn't look sad at all, in fact she grinned and started laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked, I was very confused.

"Nothing, it's just you're so cute!"

Not another one. "Ugh, Lisanna, we don't need another Mira!"

Lisanna giggled again before sobering up. "Well I think you should tell her."

Now I was really confused. "Tell her what?"

At that Lisanna sighed and face-palmed. "Tell her you love her, because it's pretty damn obvious you do."

Oh _that_. Well maybe I do, I dunno, I don't really know what love is, all I know is that when I'm with Lucy I tend to feel warmer than usual, I don't tell her everything that's on my mind because if I did she would either Lucy Kick me or run away, when I see her she always looks pretty. No not pretty, gorgeous, and she has the brightest smile that always makes me happy. I hate it when other guys flirt with her and use tacky pick-up lines that make her blush. I especially hate it when she feels she needs to call out that stupid lion. I don't have anything against the guy it's just he's always flirting with _my_ Lucy. Wait, what? Lucy isn't mine. It'd be cool if she was though, mmm, definitely. Hmm, maybe I do love her, it would explain why I always want to be near her, I can't stand when she isn't at least in the room with me and why I feel like I can't lose her, why I want to kill anyone who so much as touches her.

"Thanks Lisanna!" I yelled as I ran out the door.

"For what?" I heard her ask but I just keep running.


	2. Chapter 2 - Last Time

**Here's the second chapter guys, this is only my first fanfiction so I'm sorry if it's really bad. Thank you AnimeWriter113 for reviewing!**

 **Disclaimer: Same as before all the characters and of course Fairy Tail itself belong to Hiro Mashima (aka our favourite genius!)**

 **Enjoy**

~Lucy's P.O.V.~

I crashed into my room and flung myself onto my bed, sobbing. How could he say that, wasn't it him who said we should form a team in the first place, wasn't him who, when I doubted my importance on the team with Erza and everyone, said they didn't want someone _like_ me, that they had to be exactly me? I thought of all the times he had been so kind to me, which just made me more upset but then I realised, he had said _we_ would be better off without her, no doubt meaning the guild. He did have a point there. It was because of me that our old guild hall was destroyed and I got everyone involved with the whole Zentopia thing. I couldn't even win my battle in the Grand Magic Games. I'm pretty useless when it comes to fighting and magic. I mean with second origin I can summon two spirits at once but that doesn't mean much. Holder type wizards are pretty lame to begin with. We can't do anything if we lose our items and we're pretty weak. Celestial wizards are probably the worst because we just summon spirits to do the work for us. Pretty pathetic.

The more I thought about it, it seemed the guild would be better without me in it. I needed to get stronger so I thought I could just train in some deserted place, but I didn't want to go too far away so I decided to train in the forest where we just finished our job, where the forest meets the sea via a massive cliff. And I would quit the guild until I got stronger, that way if there was a job or something Natsu wanted me on, I doubt he would ever need me, he would have to wait or just ask someone else. That made me feel strange, I ignored that feeling and kept planning. So that night I finalised everything, I left 28,000 jewel in an envelope, enough for four months' rent. And then I packed.

When I woke the next morning I had figured out what I would say to the master but I was still really nervous. I don't know if anyone's ever quit the guild just to get stronger. It did sound pretty silly as one of the ways people get stronger is by going on jobs with your team, but I needed to do this training with no interruptions and by myself. I had everything figured out, except what to say, I even wrote a letter to Natsu and a whole bunch of other people, explaining the situation.

I made my way to the guild with a heavy heart, today was the last day I would see my family for about four months, that was too long. But I had to do this. So I trudged my way down the street, I didn't even walk on the edge.

I heard the guys in the boat call out, "Chin up Lucy!" but I just ignored them and kept walking.

~Natsu's P.O.V.~

I was seriously pissed of that morning. I had been intercepted by Happy when I ran after Lucy, he was saying something about Carla and girl problems, I didn't know and I didn't care right then. But he looked really flustered so I just had to help him out, he is family after all. So I didn't get around to seeing Lucy and then when I got to the guild I saw her go upstairs, heading for Gramps' office. I tried to go after her but then the stripper came up to me and started a fight. Never have I not wanted a fight as much as I did then, but the ice freak was insistent we go at it, so I ended up fighting him anyway. I vented on him really and the only thing going through my mind was, when am I going to see Luce?

~Lucy's P.O.V.~

This was it, once I walked through those doors I wouldn't see my beloved family for four months. I took a deep breath as I raised my hand to knock.

"Come in child." How he heard me I have no idea. I went into his office and hung my head.

Master sighed, "What do you have to say child, clearly it is weighing heavily on you."

I nodded and began my explanation,

"…so I will be gone for about four months. Please, I'm sorry, I just want to help everyone." By the time I finished I was in tears because I knew he wouldn't stop me from leaving.

"While you are far from weak, I would agree that you need to unlock more of your abilities. I'm just sad that you feel the need to leave your family."

I sighed inwardly, "I'm only leaving the guild so Natsu can't come up with some excuse to get me to come back, like if you're in the guild you need to take jobs." It was all I could manage to choke out.

Master shook his head, "Very well my child, I can't control your life, but please, come back to us" he said.

"I will." I sobbed as he removed my insignia. Then he spoke, "I'm afraid that if you don't come back, it might kill him."

There was no mistaking the tears evident in his voice and as I turned and left his office I whispered, "I know."

As I listened to the sound of his quiet sobs I looked around the guild for the last time. Mira was laughing with Lisanna and serving Elfman, who was preaching about being a man to no one in particular. Cana and Macao were having a drinking competition while Wakaba cheered them on. Even Gildarts was there, gushing over his 'little' girl. The Thunder Legion were reminiscing with Laxus in a corner, while Team Shadowgear were crowding around an ancient tome. Well Levy was, while Jet and Droy fawned over her. Gajeel and Pantherlily were sitting at the table next to them and both Gajeel and Levy snuck glances at one another when they thought the other wasn't looking. Bisca, Alzack and Asuka were reading one of the guilds few picture books, Max and Warren were next to them. Wendy was sitting at a table near the mission board and smiling at Happy's attempts to flirt with Carla, who was being more civil towards him than usual, while Juvia was hiding behind a pole staring towards the middle of the hall. I followed her gaze and there, in the centre of the guild, was my team, Natsu and Gray being punished by Erza for fighting again.

I smiled fondly yet sadly at the familiar scene, wiping a tear from my eye, before I left out the front doors. I felt Natsu's eyes on me so I sent him a backwards wave with my now insignia free hand.

 **Lucy what have you done? Sorry about the short chapter, the next one is a lot longer.**


	3. Chapter 3 - Letters

**Hey guys, I'm back. Third chapter of my first fanfic I'm so excited, thank you all you wonderful people who have read this and all you amazing people who have reviewed. I would like some more opinions and I'm sorry if the characters are little OOC, I made them a little more dramatic than they really are.**

 **Disclaimer: Once again Fairy Tail and all it's beautiful characters belong to Hiro Mashima, may he continue to bless us with beautiful manga and anime!**

 **Without further ado, the next chapter...**

~Natsu's P.O.V.~

I watched Lucy walk down the stairs and followed her with my eyes as she left out the door. She sent me a wave with her right hand, but something was wrong. My eyes widened as I figured out what it was. She didn't have the guild mark on her hand! I went to call out to her but she was already gone. I got up to leave, but an authoritative voice behind me made a chill go down my spine.

"Where do you think you're going?" Erza said in her super scary calm voice.

I gulped as I said, "After Lucy…?"

Erza smiled sweetly, too sweetly, and said in her other super scary voice that Lucy would say was like honey (I don't know how, Lucy's weird), "Is chasing after your team mate more important than spending _quality_ time with Gray and myself?"

At this moment I swore that if I ever got out of here I would never take freedom for granted again. I turned my head the slightest bit to look at Gray. I didn't even have to lean, because by now Erza was holding me up by my shirt. He was shaking his head and making weird movements with his mouth. I think he was telling me to shut up. Geez Gray, I don't need to be told that.

Turning back to Erza I said, more like stuttered, "Well you see, I um, well um, AYE!"

WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?! Since when did I speak like Happy, wait Lucy said I do that when I'm scared of Erza? Maybe it's like a defence thing or something like that. Anyway it seemed Erza was okay with it because she dropped me and then started lecturing me and Gray again. Oh well, I could ask Luce about her hand later.

Before Erza could completely murder the stripper and me, Gramps called out to everyone.

"Listen up brats, one of our family has asked me to hand these out. So come and take them."

Everyone rushed towards him asking a billion questions. The one that stood out the most was "who is it?" That's what I wondered too. I suddenly remembered Lucy walking out just before. I sprinted forward and everyone quickly moved out of the way just in case they got burnt, because I was kind of on fire. Gramps shook his head as he handed me the letter. I didn't want to open it, I couldn't open it. Everyone pushed past me slowly as they realised they weren't getting one until the only people left were Happy, Erza, Mira, the stripper, Juvia, Levy, and Wendy and me. I watched everyone else open theirs before I did. Their reactions made me want to open it even less.

~Erza's P.O.V~

 _Dear Erza,_

 _Please don't punish me! I only left to get stronger so I can help the team and the guild more. I just feel like I'm weak and can't help anyone. I'll be back soon._

 _Love Lucy_

I blinked rapidly to get the salty water out of my eyes, I couldn't cry, not here. She'll be fine but why, why did she do it? Lucy you aren't weak. I looked at Natsu and saw that he hadn't opened his yet, he looked almost scared.

~Mira's P.O.V.~

I already knew who this was from so I was kind of prepared, but I was still so upset.

 _Dear Mira,_

 _I've decided to leave Fairy Tail to train and get stronger. Don't worry I'll come back. Could you please look after the team for me while I'm away, I know Natsu will try to find me but please keep reminding him that I will be back soon. Please thank Lisanna too, she's really helped me understand what I need to do._

 _Love Lucy_

I shook my head, clearing the tears, and made my way to the bar to clean glasses. It helps me calm my nerves. I watched everyone, especially Natsu, who was shaking his head and had tears forming in his eyes. Poor little Natsu.

~Gray's P.O.V.~

WHAT?! WHY WOULD SHE DO THIS?! I swore to myself that next time I saw Lucy Heartfilia she would DIE! Not literally but when I opened that letter I did NOT expect to see that! I mean she even labelled it Gruvia? Which is a couple name (I asked Mira) what did she call it? Oh yeah a ship name. This is how the letter went.

 _Dear Gruvia (Gray and Juvia),_

 _Gray please keep Natsu happy while I'm gone, keep him occupied. Juvia I only wrote this for Gray for Natsu. I AM NOT YOUR LOVE RIVAL!_

 _Love from Lucy_

 _P.S. Gray I expect to see you two together, (as a couple) when I get back. I didn't mean the love Juvia!_

Even though I was so mad at her, I couldn't help laughing at her attempts to calm Juvia. Maybe she has a point, I mean I do like Juvia. Ugh! I don't know! I checked how Natsu was doing, he didn't look too good. He was on the verge of tears and it takes a lot to make that idiot cry. Why though, it's not like she would be gone forever.

~Juvia's P.O.V.~

She wrote one for me! I can't believe love rival would right one for me! It is now my favourite letter. And she is no longer my love rival, so I guess I should call her Lucy now. Oh Lucy why did you have to leave?! I cried so much I nearly drowned the guild again!

~Levy's P.O.V.~

Oh Lu-chan! Why, why did you have to leave us? You left without even a goodbye or anything. And that letter you left was so sweet.

 _Dear Levy,_

 _I'm sorry I left but to make it up to you I will write my novel while I'm gone. You can read it when I get back. Don't worry about me, you know I can handle myself._

 _Love Lucy_

After I read that, I went and moped with a book and one of Mira's amazing hot chocolates. I looked over at Natsu and wasn't surprised to see him as upset as he was, after all those two did everything together. No, what I was curious about was why he looked so surprised, as if he didn't know.

~Wendy's P.O.V.~

I was so happy that Lucy-san wrote a letter for me, I thought for sure I wouldn't get one. Lucy-san is so nice to me.

 _Dear Wendy,_

 _I'll be back soon, stay safe while I'm gone. When I come back I want to hear about all your quests! Help Carla realise her feeling for Happy, the poor little guy is besotted with her._

 _Love Lucy_

I turned and looked at Natsu and Happy at this point, both of them had tears in their eyes and I could tell Natsu was trying his hardest not to run away for some reason. Probably so he could mourn in private though I don't see what's so bad about it all, Lucy-san said she would be back after all.

~Happy's P.O.V.~

 _Dear Happy,_

 _I'm going to leave for a while so I can get stronger. Look after Natsu while I'm gone, make sure he stays here! I'll bring you back some fish, I promise._

 _Love Lucy_

I was so sad, Lucy had gone away and she promised she would get me some fish. I cried out loud, "LUUUUSHEEEE!" I looked to see what Natsu had read because everyone else was comparing letters. He was trying not to cry, always putting on a brave face, that's Natsu for ya! His hands were all shaky and he was saying something but reeeally quietly so I couldn't hear him.

~Natsu's P.O.V.~

Luce, why did you do it? You didn't have to, you could have at least told me, you should have taken me with you.

 _Dearest Natsu,_

 _I addressed you as such because that is what you are to my heart. If that makes no sense, don't worry. Now the reason for this letter. If you are reading this that means I'm already gone. I have decided to leave to train by myself for a few months. I made this decision when I overheard a member of the guild…It got me thinking and I came to the conclusion that maybe I really am as weak as they said. I feel like I'm a drag to the team and I don't want to hold you guys back. I can't even begin to compare to you or Gray (let alone Erza), and even though I love my spirits, I can't help feeling as though I just hide behind them while all of you risk your lives. Whilst I love it when you save me, it kind of makes me feel like I rely on you too much. So I have left to go and train. Hopefully you won't have to worry about me so much. PLEASE DON'T follow me or try to bring me back. You, (apart from master) are the only person I'll say this to. I have left the guild, as in I no longer bear the crest of Fairy Tail. This is only while I train, I will re-join when I come back. So this is goodbye for a while._

 _Love Lucy_

 _P.S. Don't break into my house while I'm gone!_

Why leave the guild Luce, that was stupid. Of course I want to go after you when I read that, I was trying so hard not to run out of the guild as fast as I could, in the vain hope I would catch you. The person you overheard, it was me wasn't it. "I'm sorry Lucy, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it! Come back, please, come back. Why, why'd you have to leave?!"I whispered. I had a flashback of when she got her insignia, she was so happy and I would often catch her looking at it lovingly. "Please come back to me Luce"

 **Okay so not much longer than the others but oh well. Poor Natsu, he feels so bad and not quite as dense as others perceive him to be. (An input of mine, **smiles evilly**) The next one we will be focusing on Lucy and there will be quite a few time skips from here on out but not too many. Thanks guys, I'll go now.**


	4. Chapter 4 - Training Schedule

**I'm back everybody! Sorry I've been away for so long, SO much homework! I'm really really(x10000000) sorry if you read chapter three when I said Gray and Lucy, that will NEVER happen in! I'm sorry if you are a Graylu fan but if you are then why are you reading this? This chapter is pretty long and I had to do so much editing. Thank you all for your wonderful reviews!**

 **Disclaimer: All of Fairy Tail and it's beautiful characters belong to the genius we all know and love, Hiro Mashima. We thank you for your genius!**

 **Now please enjoy this really long chapter!**

Time skip four days

~Lucy's P.O.V.~

I had been at my training spot for two days. I now had a small camp set up and everything I needed just so. I wasn't too far away from town so that I could get food when I needed it. Now all I had to do was to call out one of my spirits and ask them to help me train. You see, I didn't actually know how to train effectively so I thought I would ask for help. Who I would call out I had no idea, but then it hit me. Loke! He would know exactly what to do as he had been a member of the guild, he had to learn a whole new type of magic too.

I grabbed his key and stood with my arm outstretched, "Open gate of the Lion, Loke!"

In a second he was there standing in front of me. He smiled at me and opened his mouth, most likely about to flirt, so before he could say anything I stopped him.

"Loke I have called you out here for one reason and that is to help me train. I figured you would be the best choice, seeing as you had to learn a new type of magic and you're a combat oriented spirit."

If anything he looked a little disappointed but he didn't go over the top like a certain someone I know would. Ugh stop it, you have to push him out of your mind, concentrate! Thankfully, Loke got over it quickly and smiled graciously at me again, "Of course Lucy, I would do anything that was required of me for such a lovely lady." He finished with a mock bow.

My eyebrow rose and I shook my head, "Loke if you're going to help me with this you have to do it with no flirting okay? Just train me like you would a guy."

It was then his turn to raise an eyebrow and give me a look that said, 'seriously, you want me to do that?' I realised what I had said so I added to it, "Just keep in mind that I am still a girl and I don't want to die after training."

He smiled, "Of course," then his persona completely changed. He went from being a flirting playboy to some macho army commander, I could see why he was the leader of the zodiac spirits. He started pacing back and forth in front of me, then he stopped turned towards me and said, (a little too loudly if you ask me),

"Listen up Lucy, I am going to help you improve on your mortal combat skills, this we will do in the mornings for about two hours. You will then do meditation and learn how to control your magic power with Capricorn, this you will do for an hour." He started pacing again at this point, "Then you will do an agility/aerobics course with Aries and Scorpio, this you will do for two hours as well. You can then break for lunch.

After lunch you will be going over many celestial spells with Crux and trying them out with Gemini and Aquarius." He paused then and muttered to himself, "Wait that's a bad idea" Then he started yelling again, "Aquarius will not be helping you with your spell learning. Your learning will go for one and a half hours. Sagittarius will teach you archery because it is helpful and Virgo will improve your whip skills, this will last for two hours. Then you will have a one hour workout with Aquarius and finish the day with another meditation session with Capricorn for half an hour." He finished with a sigh and then turned and smiled at me, "any questions?"

I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding and began to fire questions at him, "First of all does it seriously have to be that long, I mean, I calculated that I'd have to be ready to start at about seven thirty, eight o'clock which is cool but then I wouldn't be finished until around the same time every night, that is going to be tough." Before he could respond I continued, "Secondly why would I need to learn archery? I don't even have a bow and arrow and 'because it's helpful' is not an answer. And lastly a workout, with Aquarius, are you KIDDING me?! She will kill me!"

He laughed softly at me which caused my brows to pull together in a frown.

"What?" I asked with a lot of attitude and venom lacing my voice. This just made him laugh harder, the jerk. Gees even Natsu isn't that insensitive. My demeanour immediately changed after I remembered my fire breathing partner. I looked down to my feet and I could almost feel a dark cloud surround me. Loke stopped laughing at this point and came and put an arm around me.

He smiled encouragingly at me and said, "Firstly, yes it has to be this long so that you don't have to be here so long, then you'll be able to see them sooner. Secondly, archery is a great thing to learn. It improves your eyesight, arm strength and forces you to focus your mind under pressure. It will also give you another weapon of choice just in case you don't have enough magic energy to call one of us and you don't have your whip for some reason. It is also brilliant for long distance attacks."

I interrupted him here, "yeah that's great and all, but you're forgetting that I don't have a bow and arrow"

He chuckled again and replied, "Yeah I know but we can get you one of Sagittarius' old ones." Seeing my look he hastily continued, "You will still need Sagittarius because he's arrows are magic but this is just like a back-up of sorts. And to answer your last question, yes you have to do your workout with Aquarius because she will work you hard enough that you will improve quickly. You want to get home as fast as possible right?"

I nodded and put on my best determined face. Loke had reminded me that I was doing this for them, so I needed to get better as fast as I could. I grinned when I thought how shocked everyone would be when I went back. "Let's do this Loke, we need to get back and show everyone in Fairy Tail how strong I can be!"

He nodded at this and said, "Right then before the sun sets, I want to have everyone test you in their fields. So let's get started, get ready to fight Lucy." I panicked, "w-wait now?!" He nodded seriously, "yes now."

I nervously stepped forward and got into a fighting stance. Loke smiled and stood opposite me. He started with a leg sweep that I swiftly jumped over and then ducked as he nearly punched my head with a right hook. I attempted to kick him in the side but he was too quick and jumped to the opposite side. I moved closer to him and aimed a punch at his inner elbow. Yes contact! He stepped back, shocked, "how did you know to punch someone there?" he asked. I smiled smugly as I answered, "watching Natsu and Gray fight teaches you a lot." Loke nodded in understanding. I quickly delivered a hard Lucy kick to his chest when he wasn't prepared or so I thought. Unfortunately he was prepared and grabbed my foot with his hand, so I was stuck. He slowly twisted my leg which made me hop around trying to keep my balance, so he took the opportunity to sweep me off my feet, literally. He delivered a right leg sweep to my standing leg and made me fall flat on my rear.

I stood up rubbing my behind. Loke seemed a little surprised that I was as advanced as I was, which he said but he also said I had a fair bit of work to do. He then promptly disappeared to the spirit world and out came Capricorn. He made me sit down Indian-style much like he did when he was helping me as we trained for the Grand Magic Games. We did the same exercise as back then but this time, I could summon much more magic power and keep it going for much longer than before. The wind that surrounded me, showing my level of magic power summoned, was really fast and covered a vast area. He smiled softly and said that he would help me with that because there was so much more I could achieve. I thanked him and he disappeared.

Aries appeared with a cotton candy puff. I smiled at her, hopefully this wouldn't be too hard, I was already getting tired. She smiled and apologised like always and made me do heaps of stretches and then some running, dodging between the trees in the nearby forest. Suddenly I was being chased by a huge jet of sand. I stumbled as I realised that Scorpio had joined us. It was a good idea though, because it made me run faster. By the end of it I was so tired, it appeared that I was wrong when I thought it would be easy. I thanked her and she left me, apologising profusely. I then thanked Scorpio and he disappeared with a grin and his signature, "Wicked!", while I was left standing catching my breath until Crux and Gemini appeared. I smiled, no running or jumping! Crux asked to see me use any spells I knew and I felt so crestfallen when I realised the only spell I knew was Urano Metria and that used so much of my energy. I tried to explain this to him but he wouldn't let me get out of it. So I sighed and took a deep breath focusing my magic energy, preparing to cast the spell. Gemini, I realised, were there to transform into me in case I needed support. I closed my eyes and focused on a nearby rock.

I began to chant, "O stars far and wide that embody the heavens, by thy radiance reveal thy form to me, I implore you o tetrabiblos ruler of the stars let your unrestrained rage flow, with the 88 heavenly bodies, shining, URANO METRIA!" The air was filled with the starry sky and the shining stars shot forward and with a massive explosion, the rock crumbled. I glanced over at Crux, panting, and he smiled at me saying that he was extremely impressed in my mastery of that spell. He disappeared quickly taking Gemini with him and then Virgo popped up.

Strangely Sagittarius wasn't with her and when I asked her about it she said that he wouldn't need to test me as I didn't know how to shoot an arrow yet. I had to agree with this. For about ten minutes Virgo and I versed each other, the air was filled with the sound of cracking whips. Finally Aquarius appeared, for about ten seconds, just to say that I should be prepared for intense workouts from now on and left me thoroughly scared.

As I got ready for bed, I thought of all my guild mates and what they're reactions would be when we went on a job when I came back. I sighed as I turned in for the night, it was going to be a long four months.

 **There you go. Sorry if the spell was a little different to what you know, I used the dub version. Also has anyone reading this watched episode 62 of season 2? I need someone to talk to about it! Again thanks for reading and reviewing, I love you all dearly. The next chapter will have some more of Natsu's POV so get ready for some sad Natsu. :( Bye now I'll try to update sooner!**


	5. Chapter 5 - Cryptic

**Hey everyone, short chapter this time, shortest one yet. It's kind of a filler because I wanted to put some other POVs in it.**

 **Disclaimer: Everything Fairy Tail related, except of course, the wonderful fanfictions, belong to the brilliant Hiro Mashima, wonderful person that he is.**

 **Enjoy...**

The next day

~Lucy's P.O.V.~

Today I started my training. I must say I wasn't looking forward to it and I didn't have a reason to be excited because it was sooooo boring. Loke just made me go over all these positions that I would need to know. Then Capricorn made me meditate, no testing me or anything. After that I had so much running to do, courtesy of Aries and Scorpio. Crux and Gemini just brought a huge stack of books that we read through. Sagittarius made me do heaps of arm exercises and then Virgo made me do more! Aquarius, being the demon she is, made me do about a hundred sit-ups and fifty push-ups. Hey, no one said I had a lot of muscle endurance. Then Capricorn made me call out two spirits and I could only send them home when I was going to sleep. So all in all my day kinda sucked. I was making dinner thinking, please let me go home. But when I was sitting in front of the fire, watching it crackle and burn, I was reminded of the fire breathing idiot I call a team mate. I thought about what he would say if he were here. I smiled gently as I imagined him encouraging me, pushing me on.

~Natsu's P.O.V.~

Five days, that's how long she's been gone. The rain dripped on the roof, I wonder if it was raining where Lucy was. Everyone seemed down today but I think it was more the rain than the fact that Lucy had left. They all thought she was still a member of the guild and so we would be able to just fake an emergency and get her back. How did I know this? I heard Erza and the ice princess talking about it, I think Levy was in on it too. It made me laugh but not in a happy way like their pointless scheming normally would, I laughed a bitter laugh because I knew it wouldn't work. One, we didn't know where she was and secondly, she didn't have the guild mark anymore, it wouldn't work.

Ugh! Why Luce? You didn't have to go get stronger I didn't mean it. You are strong just not in the way that Erza and that are. Now where am I supposed to go when I feel sad or frustrated? That is why I used to go to your house all the time you realise? Of course you don't, I never told you.

Oh great here comes the stripper. "Leave me alone stripper."

"Not a chance." Damn he's more persistent than I thought he would be.

He started speaking again, "you can't just mope around all day you know, it's only been five days. If she isn't back in about two months then yeah, fair enough, but seriously man, she can't train in five days! Erza has found a job she wants to do and she wants us to join her, so up you get."

Oh that's fantastic, why would I want to be stuck with a stripping idiot and a crazy scary Erza for however long it will take.

As if reading my thoughts he kept talking, "its S class by the way, lots of fighting, monsters, the usual."

He started walking off when I yelled out, "okay I'll come!" I rushed after him over to Erza, who had a smug look on her face, looking like Happy after he'd just gotten a fish. "Well Natsu we've got to take the train to get there you realise?" She said.

"I don't care, I'm all fired up!" I yelled. And I really was, I thought it would be a few days where I would be too busy to think about Lucy. Boy was I wrong.

~Levy's P.O.V.~

I watched Natsu and his team leave the guild. I guessed they were going on a job. I smiled. Maybe Natsu would cheer up a bit while he was away. I sighed for I missed Lucy already. She was supposed to come over to my room today and help me sort out my books, but of course she couldn't now. I really wanted to know what made her leave. I doubt she would leave without something major happening. The only other time she had even considered leaving was when she thought she was responsible for the whole Phantom Lord incident.

I was kind of jealous of Lisanna right now. Though she and Lucy were friends, they hadn't known each other for very long so it was easy for Lisanna to get over her leaving quickly. However for everyone else, it was much harder. Especially Natsu, though I think it would be really difficult for Wendy as well. As soon as they met those two had gotten on well and Wendy still being young wouldn't help either.

Of course everyone is sad, Mira Jane looks a little lonelier now, more so than others. It makes sense, she and Lu Lu would often talk during the day. Even Gajeel is slightly disgruntled. I think he knows something that I don't but he won't tell me. All he ever says is that Natsu might tell me if I asked. Of course I have asked him, but he wouldn't tell me either. Damn it Lu, why does this have to be so cryptic.

 **Yay, short chapter over. I'm sorry if I disappointed you. The next one will be longer and there will be a focus on the job. Did you like Levy's POV? Was she OOC or not? Please review, I want to know what you think of my writing. Thank you beautiful people!**


	6. Chapter 6 - Foolish Erza

**Hey everyone! I'm so sorry, I haven't updated in like a month! I have had the worst case of writer's block EVER not to mention I have been busy as hell! But finally I have done it, I have completed chapter 6! It is precisely 1,187 words! YAY! Please don't be mad at me for neglecting you guys! I'm SORRY!**

 **Disclaimer: As usual everything Fairy Tail related belongs to Hiro Mashima! Also the idea for Team Natsu's job comes from , though I have changed it a bit! Thank you so much for the idea!**

 **Enjoy...**

Three weeks later

~Lucy's P.O.V.~

Training was hard! I had already improved so much and Loke was definitely impressed. I haven't quite mastered archery but Sagittarius says I will be almost as good as him in another week or so. I don't believe him. Capricorn and Loke both say that I still have a lot of work to do, no matter how good I get. And of course Aquarius doesn't think I will ever be strong enough.

I just finished my workout with Aquarius and was so ready for bed, Capricorn had said I wouldn't need to have two meditation sessions now, thank goodness. Suddenly, in a golden flash, Loke appeared.

"Good evening to you princess. Might I say you look gorgeous by the fire." He winked flirtatiously at me and I rolled my eyes.

"Loke, I'm tired, I'm missing everyone, so I'm seriously irritated and I just want to go to bed. What do you want?" Loke chuckled, making me scowl at him.

"I can see that you're irritated. I just wanted to inform you that you will be able to take small jobs around here, once a week. This will test your new skills and will also keep you from tearing your hair out." He finished with a grin, not quite as bright as Natsu's.

I was so happy! I would be able to do work, not just train 24/7. I will even earn some more money, I could buy gifts for everyone! I ran to Loke and gave him a massive bear hug. He looked a little taken aback at first but he soon returned the hug. It felt nice, but it wasn't as warm as Natsu's hugs. Ah! There I go again, thinking about him when I shouldn't be. Not that I can talk. Everyone has been at the front of my mind every night, him especially. Plaguing my dreams, invading my focus, distracting me to no end.

I realised I was still holding Loke so I abruptly tried to end our embrace. Tried being the key word. He wouldn't let go of me. So I stepped on his foot causing him to loosen his hold a little. I then leaned back, turning sideways and elbowed him in the gut, effectively making him let go of me completely. I smirked as he disappeared to the spirit world, breathily congratulating me. I settled down for the night and allowed my head to fill with thoughts of my family. I fell asleep with a bittersweet smile on my face.

Erza's P.O.V.

Taking a job seemed like such a good idea before. It was supposed to take everyone's minds off of…things. We were all excited to go, especially Natsu. I think he realised that I suggested it as a distraction, something he readily needed. Natsu was a little worse than normal on the train, probably because he has been laying his head in Lucy's lap every time, which seemed to ease it. However, as she isn't with us currently, he couldn't do that. And then Wendy, who had tagged along, as well as Carla and Juvia, refused to use her troiya spell as it wouldn't be as effective. Unfortunately for him, I got so annoyed with his constant whining, I knocked him out. However this time I made sure not to forget him.

This job was only meant to last about two weeks at the most. Unfortunately, in my haste to get us a job, I didn't read the flyer on the S-class mission. So when we arrived at the correct station and found our employer, we were greeted with a shock. First of all, our employer was the magic council, a strange occurrence. Secondly, the job was in another country, a small country like Veronica. And lastly the job was to protect said country from an invading army! Apparently the leader of this army was strong, as strong as a wizard saint and his army was also very mighty, having already destroyed a number towns and a very small country that wouldn't acknowledge them as leaders, after they conquered it.

I instantly felt bad about letting my team come here and would have refused the job if it weren't for two things. My Fairy Tail pride and Natsu's need to be occupied. So I foolishly took the job and lead my team into a horrible predicament. We weren't doing too badly at the start as we were just around the borders of the country, setting up defences and evacuating everyone into the centre capital or out of the country completely. So help me no one was going to die if I could help it. We also spent most days being briefed on what the army's plan of attack was and what we would need to do. It was a very well thought out plan I must say, even if we would be feeling the brunt of the invaders' attacks. We were to leave the weaker soldiers to this country's quite small but well trained army and we would attack the stronger soldiers. It is rumoured that the strongest of the soldiers, only about sixty or so, are members of a dark guild and their master, the leader of the invaders. Our main target was him but obviously we had to get rid of his soldiers first.

Once we were agreed on the plan we all left to train with the soldiers. I decided that Wendy would be at the back of the forces, healing. For although she is undoubtedly strong, I know she doesn't enjoy fighting, preferring healing. So that's what she would be doing, unless we need her in which case she would join us at the front lines. This was all decided earlier today. Now, late in the afternoon, we were still training. I could see Gray showing the soldiers his ice make magic. We had discussed that he would be helping defend as well as attack. Juvia was training next to him, perfecting her long distance attacks as we decided that she would be behind us, attacking from the sides. Wendy and Carla were resting as she would need her strength so that she could heal as many people as possible. She had impressed the medics here today with her abilities. Carla would drop magic bombs on the invaders at the rear we decided. Lastly found Natsu, he was burning the dummies around him to ash. However unlike most training sessions where he could be seen with a huge grin on his face, he was solemn and held a face of grim determination. I sighed as I stopped the soldier attacking me with one hand, knocking him over. Although Natsu was distracted, there was no doubt he wished Lucy was here with us.

I finished my training and turned to look at Natsu again. He was staring right at me with a hard look on his face, almost as if he knew something I didn't. I was about to question him when I was interrupted by the sound of a horn. I realised why Natsu looked like that now.

They were here.

 **I left it on a cliff-hanger, just for you guys! Isn't it great that Lucy can go on jobs now! What's gonna happen now? Will Fairy Tail be successful? Who knows? Well, I do but I ain't telling! BTW, did you like Erza's POV? Let me know in your reviews! Bye!  
P.S. I will TRY to update sooner! :)**


	7. Chapter 7 - A Sense of Foreboding

**Hello my lovelies! I'm really very infinitesimally sorry for updating so late! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I hope you enjoy it!  
Disclaimer: All these wonderful characters that we love to adapt belong to the fabulous Hiro Mashima!**

 **Enjoy!**

~Lucy's P.O.V.~

It was the middle of the night when I suddenly woke up, I have no idea why. I looked around me, expecting someone to be there, maybe an animal, a normal cause for disturbance. Strangely, there was nothing there, not a soul. I went outside of my tent and did a quick scout around my campsite. It was cold and my breath clouded in the air like tiny puffs of smoke. I shivered and rubbed my upper arms in an attempt to warm myself.

I turned and went back to my tent, snuggling back down for the night. It must have been a dream, I thought. Just as I was falling asleep, a sense of foreboding filled me. I didn't what it was or why it came, all I knew was that something bad was about to happen. I frowned into the night, silently praying for my friends back at Fairy Tail. I may or may not have muttered an extra prayer for Natsu.

I fell back asleep, the frown never leaving my face, and dreamt of wars and Natsu and Fairy Tail.

~Erza's P.O.V.~

Everyone was running. It was chaos everywhere you turned. Weapons were spilled on the ground, commanders were shouting to subordinates, all the while the sound of the horn blared over the cacophony that was the courtyard. I ran over to where the rest of our team was assembled. Wendy was fretting, poor girl. I went over to her first to help her calm down, reminding her that she would be staying near the town walls, healing. It helped her a bit I think as she stopped babbling and grew silent with a determined look on her face. I was so proud of how much she had grown.

I next turned to Gray and Juvia, Juvia not clinging to Gray's arm as usual. She had the same determined look as she had worn in the Grand Magic Games. I loved it when Juvia got serious, it showed just how skilled she really was. I was so disappointed in the S-class trials when she couldn't get past me. I thought she might have had a chance seeing how she was part of the elite at Phantom Lord. Unfortunately she was out of practise with her hopeless devotion to Gray. Luckily that helped her when Grimoire Heart showed up. Looking at Gray, I smiled. He was just as cool as ever. Calm under pressure just like he always has been.

I turned to Natsu now seeing if he was ready. My smile turned to a frown as I saw his blank expression. There was no fire in his eyes, no usual gleam that was always present before a big fight.

"Natsu!"

He turned to look at me, but he wasn't, he was looking through me. I huffed as I realised he would be no good in a fight like this, he would be a weakness in our ranks and a danger to himself. I stalked over to him and slapped him on the face, hard. His head swivelled from the force and a large read hand print was getting brighter by the second. I then pulled him into a bone crushing hug. He tried to pull away but I wouldn't let him.

"Natsu," I called, "Natsu. You need to focus now. I know she isn't here, but be thankful she isn't. You know now that she is safe, far away from this mess. She will come back and everything will be fine. She hasn't abandoned you, she promised she would come back. And you know just how much that girl values her promises."

I pushed him away so he could stand up straight. He looked shocked, as if someone had just slapped some sense into him. Oh wait, I just did that. I put my hands on his shoulders, staring into his dark eyes. He looked so confused and so hurt. I made a mental note to punish Lucy when she came back.

A rather urgent blast from the horn was heard and I pulled away from Natsu to go get ready to fight.

"She left us."

I whipped around as I heard Natsu's quiet murmur.

"What did you say?"

"She left us, the guild. She hasn't got the guild mark anymore." He looked at the ground, scowling at it as if it would give him the answers to life.

"I know" I said, smiling at him, before turning to walk to our posts where the rest of our team was. My smile grew as I heard Natsu's hurried footsteps next to me. I turned to look at him and inwardly cheered as I saw the familiar fire in his eyes.

I turned back around to face the general as he was giving off orders. We all started making our way to the front of the city where the enemy was headed. Suddenly the blaring horn stopped. We simultaneously turned to look at the tower where the lookout boy was. There was a collective gasp when we saw that he keeled over, an arrow through his heart. As one we moved through the courtyard, swiftly and with haste.

We reached the walls and stepped outside, about half our troops staying inside to replace the ones who would be fighting. We were expecting fatalities as well as casualties so I said a quick prayer for my team and a silent apology to the guild and to Lucy. It would be tragic for her to come home, without us all there to greet her. With the rest of my team, I looked up.

There, on the other side of the valley was a mass of soldiers, far larger than our army. I could feel a weak magic presence, meaning there weren't a lot of magic users. They didn't feel particularly strong either, as they came closer. We also walked forwards, coming to meet in the centre. I could pinpoint the magic users, they were all in the centre. Suddenly I felt a surge of magic power.

Settling at the rear of the army was their commander, surrounded by three strong wizards. While I could feel their power, the commander's power squashed theirs in comparison. He was easily as strong as Master and Gildarts, most likely he was one of the ten wizard saints and if he wasn't then he would be as strong as some of their strongest.

I took one last quick look at my nakama. Juvia and Gray were tense, on-edge, ready to fight. Natsu was as he normally was, thank goodness for that I thought. He was fired up and concentrated. I felt Wendy rather than saw her as she squeezed my hand. I could feel her trembling so I bent down in front of her and attempted to console her.  
"Wendy, remember, we're doing this for the good of this country. We will be helping a lot of people, saving a lot of lives. We'll go back to Fairy Tail and Lucy will come back and everything will go back to normal."  
I ignored the little growl coming from Natsu as I said Lucy's name. I refocused my attention on Wendy to see she also had a determined look on her face. I smiled and patted her head before facing the enemy. We were ready to start and by the looks of things so were they. Our instructions were to wait until the enemy attacked.

We didn't have to wait long as we all saw their commander raise his hand slowly before bringing it down in a rush. His army started running towards us. As one we tensed.

"CHARGE!"

 **I hope you liked this chapter! I'll try to update sooner! BTW my current favourite word is fabulous. Tell me what your favourite word is in your lovely reviews!**


	8. Chapter 8 - Half way there

**Hey Everyone! Long time no see right? I am immensely sorry about this taking so long! Please forgive me! And I don't really like this chapter either! :( It's got a bit of Nalu in it but it's kind of a filler too. UGH! I made you wait so long for a filler! I'm so horrible! I'm sorry again!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't think I need to keep doing this but everything in this belongs to Hiro Mashima except the plot!**

 **Enjoy!**

Three months after Lucy left

~Wendy's POV~

The chink of armour moving and the sharp scraping and clanging of swords clashing filled the air. I could see everyone being jostled by the allies and stabbed at by the enemy. All their magic users hung out the back whereas my team spread out to their posts.

Already people were being cut down and even from back here I could smell the blood. I felt sorry for Natsu who was right in the thick of it. Like me, he couldn't stand the metallic stench that came with blood. Thinking of Natsu made me unconsciously look for him and when I found him, I smiled. He was barrelling through the soldiers, making his way to the magic users at the rear. His flames stretched out all around him and everyone on both sides were wary where they stood. I could hear his loud battle cry as he drew closer to his target. The wizards from the invaders looked a little hesitant to fight him. The thought made me chuckle, only crazy people were ever actually eager to fight Natsu. And for good reason, he was so strong. After the Grand Magic Games he had grown quite a bit, not to mention unlocking second origin. I smiled, he would be fine.

I did a quick sweep of the rest of the battle ground, searching for the rest of my team. Gray was further back than Natsu, creating huge walls of ice. I quickly turned around to see that the ice walls he had created earlier were still thick in front of the gates. I looked up a bit to see Juvia standing on the walls with the archers, sending massive jets of water into the fray. A flash of bright red told me where Erza was. She was doing the same as Natsu, only she was at least trying to help our allies whereas I don't think Natsu cared as long as no one died.

I spun back around at the intense smell of blood and the sound of heavy breathing. My eyes grew wide as I saw about ten soldiers wounded and another five on stretchers, each being carried by blood soaked men. I couldn't believe it, only twenty minutes into today's battle and there were so many casualties. I looked around them to see the other side was the same, a line of soldiers snaking up to their medical tent. I inwardly smiled as I realised that meant we had the upper hand.

I turned my attention back to the men in front of me and told them to head into the tent. I led the way and began healing them as quickly as I could. Unfortunately this meant I wouldn't be able to see how my friends were doing but that didn't really matter. They were all strong so I was sure they would be fine. They had only received mild injuries in the whole month we had been fighting. Yes a month, such a long time but I don't think it was going to end anytime soon. We were still working through their forces but hadn't even encountered one mage. Of course we weren't killing anyone, it isn't the Fairy Tail way, unfortunately our allies were but they were soldiers, it was their job I suppose. A month. That makes two since Lucy left. I sighed deeply setting to work on todays wounded. Two more months until we see her again. Of course that depends if we're finished here by then.

~Natsu's POV~

I shoved another soldier out of my way as I ploughed forwards. It was taking longer than I thought to reach the wizards. These soldiers were weak as but they just kept coming. Obviously they were trying to protect their leader which is something I suppose. Still after a month we should already have finished this job. I guess wars take a little longer than ordinary jobs. Fine with me though. It's too hard to be at the guild without Luce. Ugh! Now is not the time to be thinking about her! Focus!

I punched the guy in front of me in the face, letting go of some of my anger and grief. Grief?! Why was I grieving, she wasn't gone forever! Stop it! Get out of my head Lucy!

I rolled my eyes as I smelt another soldier coming up behind me. Honestly, did they not know by now that they can't sneak up on me? I swiftly turned and kneed him in the gut and by doing a flying kick, knocked the group of soldiers around us out. I nodded gravely and continued todays trek to the leader. I frowned, he was still just sitting there, watching his men get slaughtered. It was disgusting. I continued fighting my way through, soldiers barricaded me from every side but I just pushed them away, they were the weakest bunch of soldiers I've ever met. Of course that didn't mean anything about their leader. Every day I would get about this close to him and feel the immense magic energy coming off him in waves. Then, before I could get any closer, we would truce for the day, too many injured on both sides. It was endless but not today, today I would reach him, at least the wizards around him. I let a roar rip through my throat as I continued up the hill, the soldiers around me increasing three-fold.

~Lucy's POV~

"Bye bye!"

The forest vulcan flew through the air, courtesy of my 'Lucy Kick'. I turned to see Loke grinning at me. I returned his smile with a grin of my own.

"Wow Lucy, that was really good." He yelled, ruching over to me.

"Thanks Loke, it was pretty great wasn't it? I think Natsu would be proud."

I couldn't keep the pride from my voice as I looked around me, but I did mutter the last part. Get out of my head Natsu! I just finished defeating some forest vulcans, twelve to be exact, that were terrorizing the locals. It was tough and now my arm was aching from where it had been slammed into a tree but I still came out the victor.

The only reason I was out fighting vulcans was because Loke thought I had progressed far enough to take small jobs around where my training camp was set up. Unfortunately this was the only job that was less than three hours away so it was the only I could take. I didn't think was up to it just yet but Loke convinced me I was. I guess I should listen to him more often, after all he turned out to be right didn't he? And I was getting stronger now.

I could call three spirits out now, well I could call them out but only two could use their abilities. Still its progress and I could have them with me for longer. My combat skills are just about on par with Loke's, an impressive feat in my mind. My Urano Metria spell was the most powerful it's ever been and I can attack more than one target at once with it. Crux wants to teach me a new spell too, one that's supposed to be even more powerful than Urano Metria. Loke called out to me then, breaking me from my thoughts.

"We better head back Lucy, you still have some weapons training to do today."

"UGH! Really? I just took down twelve vulcans and I have more training?! Seriously?!"

Loke chuckled, "I'm sorry Lucy but the more training you do the sooner you get to see everyone, right?"

"I suppose" I sighed, not really bothering anymore. It had only been two months and I had gotten this strong and I still had two more months. I'd be fine.

Loke grinned cattishly at me before speaking again. "And, while I often wish for your affections, isn't there a certain, in your words, 'pink-haired idiot' you want to see?"

I blushed and began walking away from him. "N-no way! I don't know what you're talking about!" I stuttered.

Loke jogged up to me, laughing. I scowled at him but allowed him to catch up to me. When he was close enough I swept my leg out, kicking his ankles and making him fall on his back. I laughed at his shocked expression and started jogging, working my way up to a sprint.

"Race you to the camp!" I called over my shoulder, the gesture painfully reminding me of Natsu.

~Loke's POV~

I lay on my back staring at the sky, a grin settling on my face. Lucy had certainly gotten strong and she had gotten her old sense of humour back which was nice. Two months left! She must be getting excited. I scrambled to my feet and watched her disappearing figure, her long blonde hair swaying in the wind as she ran.

My smile only grew, she was going to give everyone a shock when she went home. She was faster, could run longer and dodge more effectively. I shook my head, and started running after her. I wasn't really willing to let her keep me open any longer, her magic was slowly fading after keeping me out for about nine hours. Still, she needed to get stronger.

I sprinted after her, easily catching up when she had slowed to a jog. She soon started sprinting again and we ran laughing back to camp. I sighed internally, you are one lucky man Natsu.

 **Again I'm sorry! This was probably a massive disappointment. Please let me know in your reviews, I don't mind if you tell me to fix something, in fact I really hope you do! Thank you and I promise the next chapter will be updated much quicker!**


	9. Chapter 9 - Memories

**Guess who's still alive?! Sorry about this everyone. I know I've left you all waiting for so long. I feel horrible BUT I have finished the story so I can update them steadily. I refuse to let you binge read though. I'm going to be mean. Sorry. Kinda. ANYWAY!**

 **Disclaimer: As always the characters belong to Hiro Mashima.**

 **Enjoy!**

Three months since Lucy left

~Mira's POV~

I sighed deeply, wiping an empty beer glass out and putting it back in its rightful place. The guild was quiet as everyone sat around. I turned back around to face everyone and what I saw saddened me immensely. Especially Natsu. He was half sitting half lying at a table in the middle of the guild. His face was sullen and drawn and his eyes were drooped. I hadn't seen him this upset since Lisanna disappeared. And I knew exactly why he was this upset. He was thinking of Lucy. Granted most of the guild was but Natsu never went more than an hour without thinking about her. He had been like this since they came back. A bittersweet smile crossed my face as I remembered that day.

 _All was normal as I sat at the bar. There was an almost electric atmosphere hanging in the guild and not from Laxus this time. Today was the day that Natsu and his team were due to return from the war they were helping with. Everyone was excited as they had been gone for two months. It was the longest anyone, other than Gildarts, had spent on a job. The excitement buzzed in the hall and hardly anyone could sit still._

 _At five o'clock precisely the guild doors burst open almost flying off their hinges. Ecstatic cheers filled the space and I think a few tears were shed. Master grew to his giant size and swept them all up in a bone crushing hug, giant tears falling from his eyes. The whole team was grinning and the guild was filled with laughter._

 _When master finally set them down I, along with half the guild, gathered around them and demanded details on their mission. At this the team calmed down a little and Wendy looked like she was about to cry. Natsu promptly slung an arm around her shoulders and a small smile graced all our faces. It was up to Erza to relay what happened._

 _"_ _We were victorious first and foremost, the enemy was defeated and the country we were protecting is now safe. However there were many casualties and fatalities. I believe poor Wendy saw more than what is preferable. A war is no place for a little girl after all."_

 _Here she turned to Wendy and smiled apologetically._

 _"_ _I'm so sorry for this Wendy, you may now hit me for sins!"_

 _I giggled a little as Wendy looked aghast and stuttered her rejection. Everyone smiled at their antics and it was easy to tell that we were all relieved that this war hadn't changed them too much. That was until Natsu interrupted the laughter._

 _"_ _ANYWAY! It took us like a month and a half just to get to the Captain of the other army. He was damn strong too. Took all of us, except Wendy, working together to take him down. We did though so you know, all good!"_

 _He ended his explanation with his signature grin spreading over his face. It was the first time we had seen it in a while and we figured it would be the last time we would see it for a while. I stepped in, asking the question I knew many wanted to know._

 _"_ _So none of you got too hurt right?"_

 _"_ _Nope, Wendy managed to patch everyone up just fine, except me, 'cause I didn't need it! I'm perfe-"_

 _Natsu was suddenly cut off from his boasting when he collapsed, slipping into unconsciousness. Everyone jumped and rushed to help him. We managed to drag him to the infirmary, placing him on a bed and expecting for wounds. I gasped as we pulled his shirt off and found a nasty hole in his side, covered with bandages but bleeding heavily. Erza and Gray frowned and Wendy burst into tears. I turned to Wendy and grasped her shoulders, gently but urgently._

 _"_ _Wendy this is a huge wound, how come you didn't heal it before?"_

 _"_ _I-I tried, b-but he wouldn't let me! He refused to be healed even though his wound was worse than everyone else's! And then when I had finished he made me sleep because he said I needed rest! All he would let me do is wrap it! I'm sorry, I-I'll start healing right away!"_

 _With that she ran to his side and immediately a gentle green glow filled the room. I sent her an apologetic gaze but she just smiled weakly at me. I turned back to Natsu and frowned at his condition. It was clearly infected as he was sweating and mumbling to himself. The room had also gotten significantly hotter as his body got rid of excess magic. Everyone was clearly upset that Natsu had been hiding this sort of thing from everyone, he could have very easily died._

 _Slowly everyone left the room leaving Wendy, Carla and myself. Wendy had just about finished healing him and she looked ready to drop. I went up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Immediately she stopped and hung her head._

 _"_ _That's enough Wendy, he'll be fine till morning. Go home and get some rest."_

 _Wendy stood, still not looking in my eyes and nodded slowly. Carla sighed and rolled her eyes before hovering beside her, placing a gentle paw on Wendy's head._

 _"_ _Okay Mira, goodnight." She mumbled._

 _I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a hug, leaning down to whisper in her ear._

 _"_ _You've done well Wendy."_

 _I watched her leave and sighed deeply, spinning back around to look at Natsu. He was still a bit feverish and without anyone else in the room I could hear what he had been mumbling for the past few hours. My frown deepened and I inhaled quickly._

 _"_ _L-Lu-Lucy." Filled the room in pitiful whimpers and as I drew nearer I gasped again._

 _Tears were forming in the corners of Natsu's eyes and spilling down his pale cheeks. I wiped the tears from his cheeks and carefully pushed his limp bangs off his sweaty forehead._

 _"_ _One more month, then she'll be here. So you better be in top condition, wouldn't want to make her feel worse than she already does now would we."_

 _"_ _L-Luce. I'm sorry."_

 _A tear slid down my and his cheek as I left the room._

I was broken from my memories as Natsu groaned and stood up, stretching. He did a quick sweep of the guild before heading for the doors, leaving for home at two rather than his usual eight. Although, as of late, two to three had become his regular leaving time. It was very sad as it meant no one really got a chance to talk to him. Not that you'd want to of course, it was like he surrounded by a cloud of despair. I sighed and began wiping down the bar…again.

~Unknown POV~

I smiled watching the girl throw herself into battle, her magic energy almost tangible in its strength. It seems that she has grown quite strong in the months she has spent here. It is a shame that she is alone, being alone can be helpful but also very dangerous. As I watched her completely annihilate her foe a slow grin came to my face. She might be here a few months more than she anticipated.

 **So...Any good?! Let me know in a review please! Also sorry for the angst. It wasn't too bad though, right? Only minor. Poor little Wendy, I felt so bad writing it. Also, see if you can guess who the unknown is. The winner gets a...sense of achievement. I don't know. Let me know what you want. (Has to be related my writing of Fairy Tail. No weird requests please) See you guys soon! (For real this time)**


	10. Chapter 10 - Today's the Day, right?

**Hey again everyone! Actually updating in a week! WOO! High five! *high fives self* So this chapter has a lot of swapping POVs so sorry if you don't like that.**

 **Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima, he's amazing, he owns all the characters and brings us joy and angst.**

 **Enjoy!**

Four months since Lucy left.

~Natsu's POV~

I raced to the guild, adrenaline fuelling my muscles, Happy was speeding along beside me. Massive grins covered our faces. I'd almost forgotten how to smile it's been that long. Today was the day, finally, all my waiting was over and now it was really here. Nothing could upset me today, nothing at all.

~Lucy's POV~

I stared at the figure in front of me, always in awe though now I was somewhat irritated with him.

"One day, yes?"

"One day is all I ask, that is correct. It will aid you greatly should you accept this offer."

I grumbled slightly, still annoyed that he would even suggest this. I was due back today, I should be on the road. I couldn't send him away though, that's possibly the worst thing I could have done. I was so excited this morning too, finally going home. To see my beloved family, to face Natsu. I let a small smile grace my lips as giddy feeling bubbled inside me. The four months had done nothing to suppress my feelings towards the pink haired dragon slayer, in fact they had only intensified. But now I was just excited to surprise him with my skills and I wanted to do that today.

I frowned up at him, a war going on in my head.

~Natsu's POV~

I burst through the guild doors, my eyes immediately sweeping over the entire guild. When no flash of gold and scent of wild roses and starlight greeted me my grin slipped a little. I shook my head. Of course she isn't back yet, it's like seven in the morning, she probably won't be back until the afternoon, probably early evening knowing her. I sat down at my usual spot in the middle of the guild hall, yelling out to Mira for some breakfast. As I waited my leg bounced impatiently, the adrenaline from my excitement still coursing through me.

~Lucy's POV~

"You do realise it will actually end up being three months right? I don't think I could do that to everyone."

"Yes, I am aware. I feel this is crucial though. Learning this spell will save your life, I'm sure of it. Also, if they get worried they'll come looking for you, yes? Especially the dragon slayer. Please consider it."

I huffed, I didn't like this idea one bit. It meant leaving Natsu and the others for another three months and that was just cruel. I had already abandoned them for four months. I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth. If I left now they might think I was never coming back. That would be hard on everyone but especially Natsu, it would feel just like losing Igneel all over again. And yet, if I learnt this then maybe I wouldn't be such a drag on the team, they wouldn't have to worry about me so much, right? And besides, I promised and Natsu knows I never break my promises. Right?

I hung my head and moved my mouth to form the words.

~Natsu's POV~

It was already afternoon and there was still no sign of her. Everyone was starting to lose hope but I kept looking at the doors.

 _She'll be back, she will. I know it._

I replayed these words in my head like a mantra, making sure I never lost hope. People tried to approach me and tell me she might come back tomorrow or her train probably just got delayed. I always answered the same. I would turn to whoever addressed me, look them dead in the eye and say,

"She will come back. She promised. She'll be home tonight."

But as time wore on and the doors stayed closed, my resolve slowly faded.

~Lucy's POV~

The familiar magic swept around me and I calmly welcomed its warmth. I closed my eyes and when I opened them again I was looking at the enchanting scenery that now surrounded me. I looked back up at him and glared playfully.

"You know you could have just sent Loke, you coming down to Earthland was a bit extravagant."

"Hehe, yes perhaps but you're here now. Shall we begin?"

I nodded stiffly at the Celestial King and followed him, sending silent apologies to all my friends.

~Natsu's POV~

As the sun set and the guild slowly emptied I stayed in position, watching the door for just a hint of gold. None ever came. When everyone left they would pat my back and sigh. It was hard to see them all look so down. Especially those she was closest too. I could smell the salty tang of tears on them as they whispered their goodbyes, even the Ice Princess.

As midnight came around and Mira forced me out, cradling a sleeping Happy, I finally let my hopes fall. This was it, she wasn't coming back today. I let the tears fall freely, not caring who saw because, all of a sudden, I was suffocating under that choking feeling I felt the day I woke up to find a red fire dragon, missing.

~Lucy's POV~

I was ready for the intense training I was going to endure today. To master a spell this intricate and physically taxing would take extreme concentration and intense focus. The Celestial King watched on as I finished reading and prepared myself for my first attempt of many. Before we started I asked for the time and knew by then that a day had passed. I was with Capricorn and Loke now, harnessing the magic energy needed for the draining spell and ensuring I had the chant ready, when the first tears fell.

 _I'm sorry Natsu. I'm so sorry._

I could only hope that his hope had not diminished. But I knew that that was wishful thinking by now.

 **Like the ending? I do. This was hard to write as well actually. I feel so bad for putting Natsu through this. You're going to hate me next chapter. Which you won't get for a week, haha, SUSPENSE! MWAHAHAHAHA! Yep. Please leave a review!**


	11. Chapter 11 - Full Circle

**Hey guys! Everyone like the last chapter? Umm so this one was really hard to write. If you don't understand anything don't hesitate to let me know. I'll be happy to answer any questions! :D**

 **Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima. Read his stuff. If this makes no sense it's because you haven't. SO JUST DO IT! (hehe, sorry)**

 **Enjoy!**

Celestial world, 22 hours. Earthland, 2 months and 21 days.

~Lucy's POV~

 _"_ _O heavens that I am guided by, spirits that I fight with and stars that shine through the darkness. Lend me your strength. By the 88 planets, I implore you, ruler of the stars. By your light, shine bright..._ _ **CELESTIAL BEING!**_

A golden light enveloped me and I could feel my magic energy starting to drain, faster than when summoning but not as quickly as it was several hours ago. I closed my eyes, once again allowing the familiar warmth to envelop me. The light formed a white sleeveless top that left my stomach bare to form around my torso and white genie pants around my legs that were tight around my ankles and loose everywhere else, similar to Natsu's actually. The fabric of the garments was decorated with golden points that formed the constellations and golden, almost transparent layer of fabric over it all. A golden circlet rested on my head and gold bangles jangled on my wrists and ankles. Golden bands wrapped around my biceps and wrists with a golden transparent silk hanging loosely in between. The glow never left my form and I could feel my magic being increased inside me.

I opened my eyes to see Loke with a stopwatch counting me down. I surveyed the obstacle course set in front of me. I set off immediately, eager to beat my time and finally please the king enough to let me leave. As I ran and ducked and weaved thoughts of the previous day's images flashed through my mind. Every time I required a break to regain my magic energy, the Celestial Spirit King would take me over to a pool and show me my guild mates. As days passed for them I watched them all lose hope on my ever returning. Most of them wold sit sullen and silent though some, namely Levy and Wendy, would randomly burst into tears. It hurt me so to see them all losing hope like this but what really broke my heart was the one who wouldn't lose hope, who refused to given up.

Every time I asked to see them, another part inside of me died. There he was, running about some other part of Fiore, searching high and low for me, calling my name, tears falling from his eyes. I imagined he had spent many years doing just this after Igneel left and the fact that I had unintentionally put him through that anguish again broke me more than anything.

As I fought against Virgo and then Taurus I put my all into it. The spell had increased my speed and strength so beating them was easy. As my cycle of thoughts replayed through my mind I kept rethinking one particular thing. I had hurt my family unintentionally. As I thought over this I realised that maybe I hadn't. I had had a choice and I decided that I would spend more time away. So, in a way, I had caused them pain fully intentionally. It was all my fault and I had said I had wanted this.

This new thought left me broken inside, numb. I made it to Sagittarius and focused my magic into the palm of my hand. This enchantment meant that I was able to focus my energy into a ball of starlight and shoot it, much like a shooting star. Essentially it made me into an ability mage and I loved the freedom that came from using my own magic to fight my battles. This type of magic was reminiscent of Loke's Regulus and also was like a dragon slayer's dragon force. It made me faster, stronger and gave me a special technique, it made me a Celestial Spirit really though I was still mortal.

I shot the ball of light, hitting the target dead centre and ran the rest of the way to Loke for one last battle. He stood there grinning but when he saw my determined yet blank expression, his grin fell. He got himself in a defensive stance as I let loose a battle cry, laced with my pain. His eyes widened when he identified this and allowed me to get a punch in. He looked at me with pity and apologies swirling through his eyes and I could tell he was about to tell me to stop but I let a growl slip out of my throat, reminding me of my dragon slayer. This thought made me smile sadly as I fought against Loke, putting everything I had into the battle.

After I finally beat him I sprinted to the end and collapsed, my magic energy almost completely diminished. The glow faded and my normal clothes covered my body once again. I let loose a sob and the tears rolled down my cheeks in torrents. The knowledge that I had hurt my nakama and had had a choice not to, had finally caught up to my heart. It felt as though someone was slowly crushing my heart, squeezing till it popped but stretching it so much it left little room for my lungs to expand making it hard to breathe. I heard all my beloved spirits run to help me but the Celestial Spirit King stopped them.

"It's time." His deep voice boomed through the realm.

I felt the all familiar pressure push against me and force me out of the realm back to my own. I landed back where I had started my training and a bitter and humourless laugh bubbled out of my chest.

 _I've come full circle haven't I?_

I heard the waves crashing against the cliff and I felt an urge to greet them, to let them pull me down to their depths where the oxygen I breathed couldn't sting my lungs. Where my heart would stop hurting. I slowly walked to edge of the cliff and let my toes hang over the edge, the wind whipping my hair around and stinging my arms.

I looked down and lifted a leg...

 **PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! So yep. The next one is the last chapter and unfortunately, its like half the size of this one. I'm sorry. Again ask me any questions you like and please leave a review! I'll see you next time! Which will be a lot longer this time because I won't be able to update next Sunday. SORRY EVERYONE!**


	12. Chapter 12 - The End of it All

**Hey guys! So I don't want to keep you too long after that horrible cliff hanger but I just want to say thank you. Thank you for finishing this and putting up with my horrendous updating schedule. I hope you enjoyed the story and you like the ending.**

 **Disclaimer: Seriously guys. You should know this by now.**

 **Enjoy!**

~Natsu's POV~

Lucy. I found her, I finally found her. I slowly stepped towards her, curious as to why she was standing that close to the edge, she knows it's not safe. I let a grin spread over my face as the wind carried her calming scent back to my nose. It had been too long since I had smelt it and it filled me with unbelievable joy.

I was still walking fairly slowly when I saw her lift her leg, about to step off. My brain immediately shut down as my legs started moving faster, adrenaline pumping through my body and I pushed it to the limits. The only thing going through my head was the need for speed.

 _Faster, faster._

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her back, my momentum making me fall back, Lucy landing on top of me. I let out a breath and hugged her closer to me.

 _I made it. Thank Mavis I made it._

~Lucy's POV~

I slowly turned my head and finally saw the person I had dreamed of for four moths beneath me. I let the tears fall silently before I turned myself over and threw my arms around his neck and hugged him.

"NATSUU!"

"Ow, Luce, not so loud." He winced but there was a grin on his face.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so happy. I'm so sorry Natsu, I can't even…I just…I'm so _so_ sorry. Please forgive me…I-I…"

"Shhh. It's alright Luce. There's nothing to forgive, you needed the time and I get that, its fine."

I nodded my head and smiled at him. He slowly sat up, still holding me close to his chest, and buried his face into my neck.

"I'm so happy." He breathed against my skin.

I let a lazy smile grace my features and hugged him tighter. I wanted to show him how strong I was but that could come later, I was too comfortable. Suddenly Natsu pushed me away, holding onto my shoulders tightly.

"If you ever, EVER, do that again, I swear…"

"What, what do you swear?"

"I…don't know, BUT, I will think of something."

I giggled and hugged him again. Natsu chuckled and held me tight as well, burying his face back into my neck and inhaling deeply.

"I missed your scent."

"I missed you too Natsu."

"Good. I missed you every day, you owe me so much."

"Of course!"

"Oh! I almost forgot!"

I looked up at him, confusion etched on my face. He reached behind him and grabbed the guild mark stamp. I gasped and tears formed in my eyes as he gently held my right hand and stamped the guild mark back onto it, exactly the same as it was. I sent him a watery smile and he held me close again.

"Thank you Natsu. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

I felt his smile as he pressed a tender kiss to the top of my head. My cheeks reddened and I just cuddled into him further. If things were changing between us, that was fine but it could wait until we got home.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"He LOOOOOOOOOOVES you!"

My head snapped up as a mischievous yet teary little exceed hovered above us. Suddenly he barrelled into us and sobbed onto my chest. I smiled again. I was home.

 **So. There you go. The end. Thank you all again, seriously you guys are what it's all been about. You are all amazing! I hope you all liked it, let me know in your reviews! Also if you have any questions or requests, let me know and I'll get back to you ASAP! I love you all so much, you are fabulous! THANK YOU AND GOODNIGHT! *bows***


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